In the heart of Clackmannanshire, nestled amongst the Ochil Hills, lies the Tillicoutry Glen (also known as Mill Glen) loop trail, perfect for a little Sunday family adventure. I’ve written about Dollar Glen before, just a few miles to the east of this trail, and have written about Alva Glen too which is located a couple of miles to the west of Tillicoutry Glen, both of which we’ve really enjoyed. So when I found out that this particular trail existed we had to go check it out.

Turns out the Tillicoutry Glen loop trail is probably my favourite of the three glens, and the kids both said the same thing (mainly because it wasn’t too long, but also because it just had so much to see as we walked around it).

We parked at the bottom and set off along the path which starts leading you up the glen straight away. The trail is roughly a mile and half long, taking you from the bottom of the ravine and following Tillicoutry Burn all the way to the top.

There are tons of little bridges criss-crossing the burn as you walk up. And there are also loads of gorgeous wee waterfalls. All you can hear the whole way up is the running of the water beside you; it’s so incredibly peaceful. If I was ever going to call a walk enchanting, this would be it. And as we climbed higher, the waterfalls got better and better, with views back down through the glen too. It genuinely is such a beautiful walk.

At the top of the glen the path forks and you can take the right hand path to follow the circular route back to where you started. It loops around the side of the hill, up a little bit more before heading back down the front of the hill. If you fancy a bigger walk you can take the left at the fork where you can access Ben Cleuch.

The path is quite steep in places, with several flights of stairs built into the trail. There is also one part where the wooden walkway you’re on just suddenly ends and you have to do a little bit of a rock scramble to get to the rest of the path. It wasn’t difficult for any of us, but definitely something to be aware of if you have very young kids with you.

In total the walk took us under 2 hours, with a couple of stops for snacks. The last part, going back down the hill towards the car, was over in about 20 minutes.

The Cost

Tillicoutry Glen is totally free to visit. Free parking too.

The Logistics

  • No toilets available. Wild pees only.
  • No suitable for wheels.
  • Good for dogs.
  • No official car park at start of walk but there is parking available. We parked on Upper Mill St.
  • It’s not incredibly easy to get here by public transport. There are bus stops under 10 minutes walk from the start of the path. The train to Stirling is about half an hour and then the bus towards Alloa from Stirling Station will take about 30 mins.

The Verdict

This is a really lovely walk through a very pretty glen. With the babbling burn, the various waterfalls, the little rock scramble, the bridges and boardwalks and the views, it’s pretty high on the list of new favourites for us. It’s definitely top of the list for the kids.